Hi, friends!
It’s hard to believe that already a week has passed since I’ve been here in Chiang Mai. This week, we started our Thai language classes. It is definitely the most challenging part of our experience here so far. The last few days, we had three hours of Thai. Today, we had five hours of Thai language and it was pretty intense. We have wonderful ajaans, though, which really makes a difference. I’ve forgotten how hard it is to learn a new language...and I had no idea how difficult a tonal language would be. Fortunately, with only a few days in, I’m really enjoying it. I’m determined to speak Thai like a local! :)
Besides our Thai classes, we’ve been visiting different places to see where we would like to do our internship. Two days ago, I went along for the ride to a slum school. This past summer, my team visited several slum schools to do our English programs. Ban Pat Suwan is very similar to these schools. There is a development center about a half a mile away where the orphans live and we had the chance to visit it. A Filipino nun lives with the children and they were all so hospitable and kind. Although I couldn’t help but love the little darlings we saw that day, there were two more places we visited yesterday that I really loved.
We went to the Agape Home, which is a large orphanage for children with HIV/AIDs. This summer, we were able to help Ricky and Karen with their small orphanage for AIDs babies. This particular one is very large and can accommodate 100 children. In Thai culture, people are very reluctant to invest in people with AIDS because the mentality here is why invest in something that will die when you could be pouring the same energy and resources into something/someone that will live? AIDS babies are often left to die in the government orphanages because of this mindset. What’s so great about the Agape Home is that there is such a high adoption rate! And they work with really good adoption agencies, so as to put these Thai kids in the best possible situations. I was really impressed with the work they were doing there, and I would love to continue to work there/learn about what they do. If I interned there, I would be teaching English and playing with babies - how wonderful!
The last one we visited was the Hope House, which is a center for pregnant/single mothers who are very vulnerable. They live there, participate in bible studies, and receive vocational training in different areas: sewing, jewelry-making, cooking. It is run by a businessman-missionary from Canada who employs these women and finds the market. It sounds really great, although if I interned there I would mostly be babysitting small infants while the women worked. Regardless, the idea of Hope House is so inspiring and it seems like they are really making an impact. I feel like for many vulnerable women (especially in Southeast Asia), there is a need for things like this that allow them to be secure financially, so as to allow them to seek healthy relationships instead of financial stability in men.
Last night, we had a really wonderful time at the Chiang Mai Cultural Center. We went to a Khantoke dinner and Hill Tribe show. We sat on the floor and they brought us delicious food and there were gorgeous Thai dancers who performed stories for us on a stage in the middle. It’s hard to describe the layout of the theater/restaurant, but it was absolutely beautiful. Two days ago, we went to a day market with our Thai friends (fellow Chiang Mai students) who helped us buy appropriate dresses for the occasion. We looked very Thai and took a million pictures. It was a lot of fun and the food was arroy. All in all, a wonderful evening.
Now that I have some free time (which is very limited these days, which is why I haven’t had much time to write to you), I am going to do some hand-laundry, go for a walk around this beautiful campus, perhaps take a nap and study some Thai before dinner.
I really love you all so much! And I miss you, although there’s hardly any time for that!
Blessings! :)
Desiree
